


Make You Fall In Love

by Mari_Sinpai



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Confession, First Kiss, Flashbacks, M/M, Past Adam/Shiro (Voltron), Post Season 6, Pre-Kerberos Mission, but not entirely, implied allurance, set a little after S7E1
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-01
Updated: 2019-02-01
Packaged: 2019-10-20 16:16:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17625620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mari_Sinpai/pseuds/Mari_Sinpai
Summary: Keith never really had any friends. Ever since his father had died, he had accepted the loneliness he felt, be it at home or in class. Nobody really gave a damn about him anyway; he was either always the emo kid, the kid that didn’t exist or beat to pulp by some of his dickhead classmates. He didn’t hate it, came to understand that it was probably his fault, even.Until Shiro.*In which Keith suddenly recalls a lot of his past with Shiro again and keeps the promise he once made.





	Make You Fall In Love

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks Dan and Sophie for proofreading Ily!!!!!
> 
> *
> 
> Me? Not writing smut? Glorious. Also more than 3k words is like magic for me I'm impressed by myself LMAO
> 
> Italics are the flashbacks! Hope you enjoy!

_“Keith, you can do this. I will never give up on you. And more importantly, you can't give up on yourself.”_

_Keith looked up from the floor he was initially looking at. Instead of getting scolded, as he had expected, he was given a promise. A promise that held so much more emotional support than anyone else had ever given him. This was different from the people that always told him to just give up, to just stop trying. This was the total opposite._

_Nobody had ever told him they would never give up on him._

A strange noise woke Keith from his thoughts. When he looked up from their fire, he saw Lance yawning, loud and obnoxiously. Keith rolled his eyes at it but never really commented, still too focused on the memory that just showed up in his mind.

Funny how that memory popped up again. Last time he remembered that, he was fighting Shiro. Now they were all sitting around a fire on an unknown but safe planet, taking a break from their far too long trip back to earth, and Shiro was sitting right next to him. He had an arm less this time, but he was safe. They were both safe.

Keith wasn’t exactly sure what triggered the memory. It was a memory he remembered almost daily, a memory only he, Shiro and his mother knew of, but it never showed up as vividly. Only once, when he was about to lose Shiro, but he wasn’t even close to losing him. He had him there, alive and living.

“You okay, Keith?” Shiro asked him and Keith just nodded. There was nothing to worry about, but of course Shiro would notice right away. It was Shiro after all. Shiro knew everything.

Almost everything.

_Keith never really had any friends. Ever since his father had died, he had accepted the loneliness he felt, be it at home or in class. Nobody really gave a damn about him anyway; he was either always the emo kid, the kid that didn’t exist or beat to pulp by some of his dickhead classmates. He didn’t hate it, came to understand that it was probably his fault, even._

_Until Shiro._

_Not too long after Shiro bailed him out of detention after his fight with Jeremy or whatever the kid was called, he began hanging out with him. Shiro would show him several trips and tricks, teach him how to fly the simulator (even though Keith already knew how to do it), and show him every ship he could get Keith to. Or couldn’t get Keith to, legally, but Shiro couldn’t be bothered. Shiro treated him as an equal, even being six years younger, at the age of fourteen. Shiro kept his promise when he told Keith he would never give up on him._

“I’m going to sleep.” Pidge suddenly sounded from the other side of the fire and Keith’s eyes opened quickly when he noticed he had them closed. He wasn’t even tired or near falling asleep, he just had them closed for no reason, but it did make him realise that it must’ve been night time for them already. The planet they were on, though, only had night time, so there was no way they could keep track, no without a timer.

After Pidge, Hunk got up and told them good night as well. Obviously. The two would play a couple of rounds of Killbot Phantasm and go to sleep after. Lance looked like he wanted to follow and join, but with Allura this close to him, he would never move. It almost made Keith laugh.

“You want to go to sleep?” Shiro asked him, a smile crossing his face and Keith felt his heart melt at the sight. To see Shiro smiling like that was something so familiar, but after what happened earlier, he thought he would never be able to see it again. But it was there.

Shiro’s smile had saved him many times.

_“You know how everyone hates me, Shiro!” Keith screamed at the older man, despite his good intentions, and tears were streaming down the boy’s face. This was the first time Keith found himself crying in someone else’s presence since his father had died, and it turned out to be with Shiro of all people._

_This didn’t even surprise him. Shiro made him feel all kinds of things. Safety, strength, validation, love, but also fear, sadness and worry. Worry about whether he would ever be good enough._

_Shiro would tell him he didn’t hate Keith, but Keith wouldn’t believe. It wasn’t like he thought Shiro really hated him, no, never, because he knew Shiro didn’t hate him. It was just that Keith was never, ever someone’s first place. His classmates all had better friends, his father was dead and his mother was gone, his teachers didn’t give a damn about him and Shiro, well, Shiro had—_

_“Adam, hey, what are you doing here?” Shiro asked, and before Keith could hear the man’s reply, he had stormed out of the room. He didn’t need to know what that man was doing there. That man hated him anyway._

Keith looks up when he notices a cloud of long, fluffy hair pass him, and sees how Allura leaves for Blue. She must’ve been tired as well after such a long flight. Keith can’t really blame her.

Keith finds it almost pathetic how Lance gets up hardly a minute after Allura, yawning obnoxiously again, and showing how he had stayed up just to be with Allura a little longer. Keith hates himself for that thought, though, because he knows he’s doing the same thing right at that time, but with Shiro. He follows Lance with his eyes, to see where he’s going, but instead of his expectations for him to go to Blue, Lance settles with Red after a couple of seconds of thinking.

“It’s obvious. Those two.” Keith tells Shiro soft enough nobody else hears and Shiro only snickers. For a second, Keith thinks Shiro’s onto him, but Keith knows how well he’s hidden it.

There were different times, though.

_Keith soon realised it wasn’t Adam that hated him, but rather the other way around. Adam liked him, never showed any sign of hating Keith. Adam was a friendly guy, with good manners, almost perfect performance at the Garrisons, and a teacher after all. Adam was a good man, and he completely understood why Shiro would fall for a man like that._

_What Keith understood even better, was how Adam had fallen for Shiro, because no matter how you looked at it, Shiro was the most likeable guy Keith had ever met. And perhaps, his anger towards Adam didn’t exactly originate in being hated by him, but rather being made second place because of him. Which was weird, because Keith was never the kind of guy to put himself above anyone else. He saved his own ass, yes, but he would never put himself above the happiness of someone he cared about._

_Yet he found himself wishing Shiro would already ditch that Adam guy and love him instead. All while Keith knew that that would be impossible, because Keith was literally fourteen years old and Shiro was a grown man, in a committed relationship with another grown man, perfectly happy, perfectly fine._

_It wasn’t Keith’s right to change that, to take that happiness away, and yet he wanted Adam to just die already. A thought he never wanted to have, but it happened, he couldn’t help it. He was lonely after all. He was always lonely, and he couldn’t stand being alone anymore, not when Shiro had spoiled him that much already._

Keith’s mind returned to present when he felt his shoulder lean against Shiro’s, and he looked at the man next to him.

“Sorry.” He whispered softly but he never really moved. Shiro didn’t exactly seem to mind either and even shifted so Keith could lean against him some more. They would sit like that more often, in silence, or talking about their day. It was just a way of relaxing, and both found comfort in the other like that.

When Keith looked up, he saw that Romelle had left the circle. He couldn’t really blame her, being surrounded by so many strangers. Keith would’ve done the same thing earlier, when he had just met the paladins, if it weren’t for Shiro being there with him. He didn’t really give a damn about the people he now calls his friends, his family.

He sighed and closed his eyes again, and Shiro let him. No question of how tired he was or if he wanted to go to sleep, nothing. Shiro just let him lie there, like Shiro often just let him do things. Shiro accepted anything Keith did.

_“Keith.”_

Shiro wasn’t talking, but Keith remembered the way Shiro called his name that day far too clearly.

_“Keith, come here.”_

_Keith wasn’t proud of his action. He had screamed at Adam, and for no particular reason too. All Adam did was say hi, sit down at the table he and Shiro were studying at, gave them each a drink and gave Shiro a kiss on his—_

_“What do you want?”_

_“You know exactly what I want, Keith.” Shiro told him, voice ever so gentle, and sat down next to Keith. Keith had fled outside, finding peace in the quiet under the stars that slowly began to appear, but somehow, Shiro always managed to find him. Perhaps it was because Shiro knew almost everything about him, or maybe because that “everything” could be scratched after the fuss Keith had made earlier. There was one thing Shiro didn’t know yet, but now there was no way he didn’t realise it._

_He didn’t want to talk about this. He didn’t want to talk about how he lashed out at Adam for no reason other than his own feelings that got in the way so easily. He knew better than that. He never let his feelings possess him like that, and yet he found himself there, angry, upset, heartbroken._

_“Keith… why are you so angry at Adam?”_

_Keith stayed silent. Shiro let out a sigh, and soon that familiar feeling of a hand on Keith’s shoulder followed. Not too long after, Keith would bend forward in an attempt to hide the tears from his friend, but Shiro knew everything._

_Shiro knew everything now._

Keith found himself wondering if Shiro still knew everything. So many things had happened, and Shiro had proven himself to know a lot about anything, every day again. Keith couldn’t help but think about the days Shiro had followed him to talk to Keith about what was bothering him, whether back on earth, on the Castle of Lions, anywhere they were. Shiro was onto Keith so easily.

When Keith glanced to the side, he saw Shiro had his eyes closed as well. He must’ve gotten tired, especially with the silence surrounding them, with nothing but the sparking fire and his mother and Coran discussing something about the Blades and their history. Coran was surprisingly silent for something he would’ve usually been enthusiastic about, but Keith figured Coran too must’ve been tired, or perhaps he must’ve realised everyone else needed their peace and quiet.

Keith closed his eyes again, and the next time he opened them, Krolia and Coran were both gone.

“Where—”

“They went to bed.” Shiro told him, and when Keith looked his way, the first thing he met was one of Shiro’s smiles. “You dozed off for a minute there.”

Right. He was tired. He knew he was tired, but now it was just Shiro and him.

It was often just Shiro and him.

_“Keith, you know you can talk to me about it.” Shiro said with a teasing laugh and jokingly shoved Keith’s shoulder. Keith held it, stuck out his tongue at the older man and shook his head aggressively._

_“Hell no! You’ll just make fun of me!” Keith returned, though the tone of his voice was all but angry. Keith had learned that he didn’t always have to be angry even if someone made fun of him, as long as the other didn’t mean it. Shiro never meant what he said, not when he was teasing, at least._

_“I would never make fun of you.” Shiro said with fake offense taken and crossed his arms, and the way he blew up his cheeks like some dumb kind of hamster made Keith laugh. Shiro always made Keith laugh, and doing it while Keith was actually hiding his biggest secret (that wasn’t even a secret anymore, actually) was dangerous, because Keith was just so close to spilling the words._

_“I don’t want to piss Adam off.” Keith said, snorting. He had accepted it. Well, he never really accepted that Shiro would never see him the way he saw Shiro, but he could joke about it now. It had already been weeks since Shiro found out about it, Keith grew to live with it. With the teasing, so much he started it himself as well. That’s what friends are for, right?_

_“Adam is stronger than that. He’s not competing with a kid like you.”_

_“Oh, he isn't?” Keith asked, as if he accepted some kind of challenge and he stood up from where he was sitting—their usual studying corner—and put his arms on his hips with a big, cocky grin on his face. “Well then, I’ll promise Adam I’ll make you fall in love with me. Just wait and see.”_

_“As if ever. You’re far too small for that.” Shiro hollered, nearly falling off his chair from laughter and a tear actually escaped his eyes. Keith pouted, unsure if it really was a fake pout or not, but he played it off casually, and cheated maybe just a little bit._

_“You know I can do it, Shiro. You said you believed in me.”_

_“Well, we’ll see about that when you’re older.”_

Keith opened his eyes when that line crossed his mind. Why did he suddenly remember exactly those words? He looked at Shiro again, seeing he still had his eyes opened as well, but they were aimed at the fire instead. Responsible as always, Keith thought, watching the fire die out when everyone was asleep.

“Hey, Shiro.”

“Hmm?”

Shiro’s hum sounded sweet to his ears. It was nothing but an almost voiceless question, and yet Keith found himself just melting back into it. Keith loved Shiro’s voice, had always loved Shiro’s voice.

And now they were alone. Their silence was heavy, but Keith didn’t really mind it. He’s felt worse silences, but funnily enough never with Shiro. Silences with Shiro just weren’t bad, ever.

“Do you remember what you told me once?”

“I told you many things, Keith.” Shiro laughed under his breath and shook his head. “You’ll have to be more specific.”

“About me. About being older.”

“Yes, and?” Shiro didn’t seem to get what Keith was referring to. Not yet.

“Do you see me now, though?” He asked, sitting up straight and looking at Shiro. “Now that I’m older? I’m not the little kid I used to be anymore.”

Of course, Shiro knew that. And Keith could read off Shiro’s face that he knew what Keith was talking about. It didn’t look good to him, though, and his heart already dropped just seeing Shiro look at him like that.

“Keith—”

“No, it’s fine.” Keith told him immediately, shaking his head, shaking everything off, ignoring each thought he had about Shiro and how he must’ve possibly seen him. In his eyes, Keith was still that little kid, despite being eight years older now, despite being big, despite being—

“You didn’t let me finish.” Shiro said and he looked around to see in case someone was listening. This was their private moment, and nobody needed to hear Keith fail at falling in love for the second time. Keith sucked in some air, thick and heavy on his lungs. He prepared himself for what Shiro would tell him, because he already knew the answer. Just like Shiro always knew everything, Keith too was sure he knew everything.

Except for that he didn’t.

“I know you aren’t the little kid you used to be anymore.” Shiro said without looking at Keith, instead at the fire in front of them. His voice was softer than ever, barely a whisper, and yet Keith could hear every word of it. “I see it too. You’re so much more than what you used to be. Confident, strong, a fantastic leader. The only thing that never changed is that you’re an amazing pilot and… and that determined look in your eyes.”

Keith was holding his breath. He was aware he was holding his breath, but he didn’t exactly dare to breathe either. He just stared at Shiro, who didn’t look back at him, but that didn’t quite matter. Shiro was saying so much, way more than what Keith had initially thought he would hear, way different from what he had expected.

“But how am I supposed to think you still look at me that way?” Shiro continued and his expression changed, to one of sadness, or regret, maybe. It could’ve also been the light of the fire casting shadows on his face, Keith wasn’t sure. “That what you just said was years ago. I wouldn’t even dare to hold onto those words now, after all this time.”

“Shiro…”

“You’ve grown so much, gotten so much stronger.”

“If that’s the case, then look at me, Shiro.” Keith said, and that must’ve woken something up in Shiro. He finally looked back at Keith, away from the fire, and the look in his eyes was almost killing. He looked so sad, somehow, full of guilt, and Keith knew exactly why. It was all written on his face, literally.

“How can I ever expect you to still look at me the same way, then?”

“Because I love you.”

Silence fell between them, again. Shiro was just looking at Keith, with wide eyes and a jaw that would’ve hit the ground if Shiro didn’t have at least a little bit of self-control. Keith regretted his words, every single one of them.

That was, until Shiro’s eyes shifted, back to the fire and his lips curled to a smile sweeter than Keith probably had ever seen him have. Suddenly, the regret faded, and replaced itself with hope. Hope for just one, single thing.

“Yeah well, I love you too.”

That.

The soft noise of the crackling fire made Keith’s shift almost soundless. Shiro hardly even noticed Keith moving closer, but the hand on his face made him look back at the person next to him. It all happened before either of them knew—a smile, a caress, lips pressed against each other and a sigh heavy with relief. Nothing probably ever fit together more perfectly as that.

_“You’ll come back here, right?” Keith had asked Shiro not too long before the Kerberos mission take-off and it took him everything to keep himself from spilling tears. Keith never cried, not really, but the only person that was ever allowed to see him cry was Shiro. Shiro had seen him cry before, so there actually was no shame there. He just didn’t want to cry in front of Shiro, not when this would be the last time they’d see each other in a couple of years._

_“Of course I will.” Shiro told him with a smile, although even he had to work his hardest to keep the tears back. Keith noticed, of course, but he was good enough to not mention it. Good for himself, of course, because as soon as Shiro cried, Keith cried. It happened before, right after Shiro and Adam separated._

_This time, though, he didn’t want to see Shiro cry. He wanted to see him smile, to chase his dreams, to fly through the stars Keith too wished to once fly through, maybe, just one day._

_“When you get back, I will be older.” Keith said, a joking tone behind his tears. “I won’t just give up on you like that. Don’t forget.”_

_A hand pressed on his head and a big smile shone in front of him._

_“As if I’d ever forget about you.”_

_Because nobody had ever told him they would never give up on him._

**Author's Note:**

> Hello hello come say hi @ [Twitter](https://www.twitter.com/mari_sinpai) ! Comments and kudos are always appreciated muaH <3


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